Okay, so this entry is a bit of a departure from my usual posts. I’m writing more about radio history than music – but I figure radio
and music go together, and since this is my blog, I can do as I like!
So, several months ago I stumbled across some old airchecks
from various radio stations in the 1960s. I think by now it’s quite obvious
that I am inclined towards that particular decade and I loved getting this
glimpse into the normal lives of people from that time. When it comes to
history, I’ve always been more fascinated with the lives of the Average Joe or
Jane than the famous political figures, so these old airchecks were quite a
find for me. I found myself looking into various artists I hadn’t previously
explored and I quickly became a fan of one DJ in particular. The St. Louis
radio station, KXOK’s Johnny Rabbitt (aka Don Pietromonaco).
I was immediately attracted to his style on the radio. He
doesn’t just tell you what song is going to play next, he really put on a show!
I was very amused by his banter with his self-created sidekick, Bruno J.
Grunion. And when I found out that Bruno didn’t actually exist, but was voiced
by Johnny Rabbitt himself, I was thoroughly impressed. After doing a bit more research I found, that he’d often get to the studio early
and record his Bruno drop-ins before the show, then converse with the pre-taped
voice on the air and then there were times when he did both voices live. That
takes the talent of a true actor to pull off something like that, I believe. While
I think these kinds of antics were more common back in the day, I still believe
that Don Pietromonaco was an extremely talented individual. He stepped into the
Johnny Rabbitt role in 1964 and became a local legend of sorts.
I know that a lot
of work had to go into each show – they were carefully crafted with
laugh-tracks, sound effects, gags, contests, games, prizes, requests and
dedications. I know he didn’t do it entirely
on his own – he had help from the production team of KXOK, but he did earn some
of the highest ratings ever recorded in the St. Louis area. He also ran a
couple teen nightclubs and helped raise millions of dollars for medical
research. And of course, he created
memories for thousands of St. Louis teens… After listening to as many
broadcasts featuring him as I’ve been able to find, I can say with absolute
certainty, had I been a St. Louis teen in the ‘60s, I’d have been a Johnny
Rabbitt Army Member.
http://www.live365.com/stations/kxok630
ReplyDeleteJohnny and Bruno still rule on the Interwebs!
And something else you might like: http://www.facebook.com/groups/312810488387/
ReplyDeleteThe KXOK 630 Facebook page, full of old farts like me with fond memories of our teen years listening to Johnny and Bruno on the radio...and I still remember the arguments in the high school corridors about whether or not they were one and the same.